From one recover(ing) Streetcar member to another: Welcome, and it's gladdening to hear your honest testimony.

When you mentioned 'highest ranking elder' I immediately thought of Vic 'the Vicious Hall' Hall. And yes... your testimony of being in a church that was once wonderful and a good place to be, that later transformed into a loveless, hopeless and overall unpleasant place resonates well with my own experience. It is truly sad to watch a good church head down the slippery path into corruption and dictatorship just because one man (or one man and his few chosen lackeys) decides to play God.

With my exit from RFI, my eyes were opened and I saw so many things that I could never have possibly noticed before. One of the most painful to watch was the gradual departure of the presence of the Holy Spirit from the churches in RFI. Whereas in my childhood I remember church being electrified by the presence of the Holy Spirit... by the time of my butchering at the hands of Vic 'the Vicious Hall' Hall, services and prayer had by and large become much more ceremonial and less spiritual - again, this being an incredibly sorrowing matter to me.

The good news, however, is that with people like you and I once being active in the church, and having seen all the damage this current 'leadership' (I can scarce bring myself to even call it that - it's DICTATORSHIP, not leadership, that's what it is. I call a spade a spade indeed. ) is doing, we can testify. We can let the masses who are still mesmerised by Vic's yarns and fables know - wake up! That their beloved 'messenger' is nothing more than a farce, and their beloved 'lampstand' and a whole lot of those doctrines are nothing more than philosophical garbage, products of a deluded mind.

The good news, however, is that with people like you and I once being active in the church, and having seen all the damage this current 'leadership' (I can scarce bring myself to even call it that - it's DICTATORSHIP, not leadership, that's what it is.

A powerful attraction in many religious groups is the idea of being "chosen", called as a special select group to save humanity from their sins. Of course, being chosen is a tremendous ego trip. People feel superior to others and become extremely judgemental of anyone who, according to their group's exclusive wisdom, remains unenlightened.

Mystical manipulation is further enhanced when a particular person is supposedly "chosen" by God. This "chosen" individual is then looked on as a savior figure, an "anointed" preacher, a guru, a mediator for God, or an illumined teacher. Once we accept a "chosen" leader's special status, we are sunk - trapped in the viselike grip of someone else's interpretation of a particular religious doctrine. Whatever doctrine is being promulgated is automatically accepted without question because of the supposed divine source. Anything our chosen guide does, good or evil, must be okay because he or she is "God directed".

I have generalised in my first letter, however, most of my worst (and unique to myself) stories, can't be posted here as I will be instantly recognised....as I was on the previous Streetcar, and suffered for it. So even tho I would like to post them, I prefer to remain anonymous.

The good news, however, is that with people like you and I once being active in the church, and having seen all the damage this current 'leadership' (I can scarce bring myself to even call it that - it's DICTATORSHIP, not leadership, that's what it is.

A powerful attraction in many religious groups is the idea of being "chosen", called as a special select group to save humanity from their sins. Of course, being chosen is a tremendous ego trip. People feel superior to others and become extremely judgemental of anyone who, according to their group's exclusive wisdom, remains unenlightened.

Mystical manipulation is further enhanced when a particular person is supposedly "chosen" by God. This "chosen" individual is then looked on as a savior figure, an "anointed" preacher, a guru, a mediator for God, or an illumined teacher. Once we accept a "chosen" leader's special status, we are sunk - trapped in the viselike grip of someone else's interpretation of a particular religious doctrine. Whatever doctrine is being promulgated is automatically accepted without question because of the supposed divine source. Anything our chosen guide does, good or evil, must be okay because he or she is "God directed".

Text from "Under the Influence" - John D. Goldhammer

Yes robo, this is exactly what it was like for us at MCF. The ones chosen were family or otherwise prepared to be manipulated. And spoke the mantra lingo with natural ease.

As you say, once they were all accepted, we could no longer do anything but 100% bow down or leave. But we had our friends and family there. We had sown our hopes and dreams there! OUr kids were baptised there. What a warning to never trust anyone FULLY except God. MCF never accepted that they were responsible as a COMMUNITY irrespective of what doctrine they had.

They violated the common decency of community by gagging us and tying our hands behind our back. We were men and women together and we were taught to treat each others speech as garbage unless it was parroting the leaders. That is so stupid and dangerous.

We all thought we were so unspiritual and that they were the spiritual ones. I'd laugh if I wasn't crying.